Chair back construction



April 1951 A. c. HOVEN 2,550,479

CHAIR BACK CONSTRUCTION Filed Feb. 21, 1947 y 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 JJfi'edC. Hbven April 24, 1951 A. c. HOVENV 2,550,479

CHAIR BACK CONSTRUCTION Filed Feb. 21, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 gwuwmAlfred C. fibven 3% ,wwdw

Patented Apr. 24, 1951 CHAIR BACK CONSTRUCTION Alfred C. Hoven,

Grand Rapids, Mich., assignor to American Seating Company, Grand Rapids,Mich., a corporation of New Jersey Application February 21, 1947, SerialNo. 730,106

4 Claims. (Cl. 155184) .The'present invention relates to chair backconstructions and more particularly to such as are used in theatrechairs, and the object of the invention is to provide an improved chairback of sturdy, attractive and economical construction.

This object and any other and more specific objects hereinafterappearing are attained by the preferred embodiments of the inventionhereinafter described, and illustrated by the accompanying drawings,wherein:

Figure 1 is a rear perspective viewof a theatre chair whose back isconstructed and mounted accordingto the present invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the left half of thechair back'per se;

Figure 3 is a sectional view of the chair back taken on line 33 ofFigure 1;

Figure 4 is a rear perspective view, of a channel rim member of thechair back assembly;

Figure 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectionalview of parts of thechair back, taken on line 5-5 of Figure 2;

Figure 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view of parts of thechair back, taken on line 6-6 of Figure 2;

Figure 7 is an enlarged, fragmentary, horizontal, sectional View ofparts of the chair back and mounting bracket therefor, taken on line 1-1of Figure 1; and t Figure 8 is a fragmentary, horizontal sectional viewof a modified form of chair back and mounting bracket therefor.

Referring now in detail to these drawings, the chair shown in Figure 1is of the type used in theatres, auditoriums and the like, andgenerallycomprises a pair of spaced, upright, supporting standards l0having conventional arm rests II, achair seat l2 mounted-on and betweenthe standards In in any known manner, and 'a' chair back generallydesignated I3 mounted on and between the standards It] by means ofbrackets 14. The chair back is secured to the brackets M as hereinafterdescribed, and said brackets may be secured to the standards In invarious ways. If the chair back is to be fixedly mounted on thestandards, the brackets l4 are fixedly secured to the standards as bymeans of screws (not shown) passing through apertures in the bracketsand threaded in the. standards. If, however, the chair is of theretracting type wherein the seat and back are mountedfor forward andrearward movements, thejbrackets l4 may be slidably mounted on thestandards in any known manner.

The chair back I3, inclusive, comprises a back panel l5 of sheet metal:which is bowed rearwardly to provide a comfortable backrest. The bottomperipheral edge of the back panel I5 is curled forwardly, upwardlyandthen rearwardly to form a retaining groove it of greater thansemicircular crosssection. The top and side peripheral edges of the backpanel l5 are curled rearwardly, inwardly and then outwardlyto form anoutwardly opening continuous groove ll extending across the top and downthe sides of the back panel.

An upholstery covering [8 of leather, fabric or other suitable material,has an elongated memberpreferably a compressible fiber" cord [9 of roundcross-sectionhemme-:i into the bot+ tom marginal edge thereof by meansof stitching 2i]. (SeeiFigures 6 and 7.) This cord land the upholsteryhem 2! surrounding it are secure; ly assembled to the back panel I5 bysliding them longitudinally into the groove |5,= and the up holsterycovering I8 thus forms with the back panel 15 a pocket 22 open at thesides and the top. This pocket 22 is filledwith padding 23 of cotton,hair, moss or the like, and the po :et is then sealed by pressing themarginal top and side edges of the upholstery covering l8 into the.continuous groove ll. of the back panel; in-. serting a continuouscompressible fiber cord=24 into the'groove I! between the folds of theupholstery .cOvering, and applyinga channel rim 25 (see Figure 4) to theouter peripheral edges of the chair back. The rim 25 has its frontmarginal edge 26 flanged inwardly to engage the outer surface of. theupholstery covering it! at the top and sides of the chair back, and saidrim 25 has its rear marginal edge 2! flanged inwardly and then formed,to engage the curled. peripheryof. the

back panel l5. In assembling the rim..25 to the chair back; the lowerends of therims side portions'are guided onto the side edges .ofthe'chair back, and the rim is then slid downwardly until its topportion embraces the top edge ofv the chair back. J The chair back abovedescribed is mounted on the brackets I4 by means of screwsiS which arepassed through aligned apertures in the rim 25. the upholstery covering18, and the rearwardly extending portions at the sides of the back panell5, and said screws 28 have their inner ends threaded in reinforcingbars 29. 1

Figure illustrates a slightly modified construction'jin which theback1panell5 has its top and side peripheral edges curled rearwardly andinwardly, then outwardly and-forwardly to as shown in Figures 1-7 form agroove H for the retention of the marginal edges of the upholsterycovering I8 and compressible cord 24 The rim 25 has a slightly differentcross-section than that shown in Figures 1-7, but is characterized bysimilar flanges 26 and 2'5 which engage respectively the outer surfaceof the upholstery covering [il and the curled edge of the back panel 55The brackets M are also here shown slightly modifled, being turnedforwardly and inwardly to form a flange 30 to which the chair back issecured as by screws 28 passing through aligned apertures in the flange3i] and the back plate and provided with nuts ti on the inner endsthereof.

t will thus be seen that the present invention provides a chair backcomprising a single rigid back panel of sturdy and economical sheetmetal construction, attractively upholstered and assembled by means of afinishing rim which conceals the upholsteryattaching means, and whichrim may be of attractively polished sheet metal. The invention beingintended to be pointed out in the claims is not to be limited to or byde' tails of construction of the embodiments illustrated by theaccompanying drawings or hereinbefore described.

I claim:

1. In a chair structure: spaced, upright supporting standards;back-supporting brackets on the standards; achair back comprising backpanel having its top and side peripheral edges curled rearwardly,inwardly and then outwardly to form a continuous groove extending acrossthe top and down the sidesof the back panel, said back panel having itsbottom peripheral edge curled forwardly, upwardly and then rearwardly toform a bottom retaining groove; padding disposed directly over theentire front surface of the back panel; an upholstery covering disposeddirectly over the padding and having its top and sidemarginaledgessecured within said continuous groove and having its bottom edgesecured within said bottom retaining groove; a channel rim extendingaround the top and sides of the chair back, said rim having inwardlyextending flanges one of which flanges engages the outwardly curledportions of the back panels top and side peripheral edges and the otherof which flanges engages the outer surface of the upholstery covering topress the covering against the back panel; and fastening means passingthrough said back-supporting brackets and said back panel for securingthe panel to the brackets.

2. In a chair structure: spaced, upright supporting standards;back-supporting brackets on the standards; a chair back comprising aback panelhaving its top and side peripheral edges curled rearwardly,inwardly and then outwardly to form a continuous groove extending acrossthe top and down the sides of the back panel, said back panel having itsbottom peripheral edge curled forwardly, upwardly and then rearwardly toform a bottom retaining groove; padding disposed directly over theentire front surface of the back panel; an upholstery covering disposeddirectly over the padding and having its top and side marginal edgessecured within said continuous groove and having its bottom edge securedwithin said bottom retaining groove; a channel rim extending around thetop and sides of the chair back, said rim having inwardly extendingflanges one of which flanges engages the outwardly curled portions ofthe back panels top and side peripheral edges and the other of whichflanges engages the outer surface of the upholstery covering to pressthe covering against the back panel; and fastening means passing throughsaid back-supporting brackets and through the side portions of thechannel rim, the upholstery covering and the back panel for securingsaid parts in assembly.

3. The method of upholstering a substantially rectangular chair backpanel, which method comprises: curling the bottom edge cf the back panelforwardly, upwardly and then rearwardly to form a retaining groove;curling the top and side edges of the back panel rearwardly, inwardlyand then outwardly to form an outwardly opening continuous groove;hemming an elongated element in the bottom edge of an upholsterycovering; sliding said hem and element longitudinally into saidretaining groove; filling the pocket formed between the upholsterycovering and the back panel with padding; and compressing the top andside marginal edges of the upholstery covering into said outwardlyopening continuous groove.

4. The method of upholsterying a substantially rectangular chair backpanel, which method comprises: curling the bottom edge of the back panelforwardly, upwardly and then rearwardly to form a retaining groove;curling the top and side edges of the back panel rearwardly, inwardlyand. then outwardly to form an outwardly opening continuous groove;hemming an elongated element in the bottom edge of an upholsterycovering; sliding said hem and element longitudi nally into saidretaining groove; filling the pocket formed between the upholsterycovering and the back panel with padding; compressing the top and sidemarginal edges of the upholstery covering into said outwardly openingcontinuous groove; and sliding a generally U-shaped channel rimdownwardly into snug engagement with the top and side edges of saidupholstered back panel.

ALFRED C. HOVEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

